Semper Fortis
by PottertheOtter
Summary: Harry is taken hostage at Malfoy Manor instead of Hermione. Will they ever be able to admit their love for each other? Read on to find out! Rated for mentions of intense violence, and for scenes that may take place later on...


**Semper Fortis**

**Chapter 1**

**AN: This is a little story I've had running through my mind as I was writing for Harry Potter and the Leap of Faith, and since I've had a BAD case of writer's block, I thought this would help me get past it. I've read about two other stories based off of this idea, but that's it. They inspired me, but I can't remember who wrote them. In this story, Ron came back, but he and Hermione are as distant as ever, and things between him and Harry are strained. Also, Hermione WAS NOT so distraught when Ron left. That's all I'm giving you before you actually read the dang thing. (Also, sorry about the long wait for ANY update from me. Family vacations, Marching Band, and now school have all been keeping me busy. I literally just opened my laptop and found this story on here from the end of June. Hopefully, once I get re-acclimated to school, I'll be able to continue both this and Leap of Faith. Until then, I thought you guys might want something to read and know that I'm alive.)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER, IT BELONGS TO JK ROWLING AND HER PUBLISHING COMPANY AND WB MOVIE STUDIOS. I WISH I FRICKIN OWNED IT, THOUGH. BUT NOPE.**

"Take the prisoners to the dungeons, except for the Mudblood. I think I'll have a little fun with her before our master arrives." Bellatrix LeStrange said, her eyes brimming with madness as she looked at Hermione Granger. Ron Weasley looked terrified and was hyperventilating. Harry Potter's mind was frantic, thinking of all the possible ways out of this scenario, trying to find a way to save Hermione Granger, the woman he realized that he loved during their fifth year in Hogwarts. He only came up with one solution.

"No! Stop. It's me. You've got me. I'm Harry Potter. I got hit with a stinging hex." Harry shouted, raising his eyes up to his captors in defiance. One of the Death Eaters at hand quietly cast the counter for the hex. Hermione was crying, knowing that Harry had just sacrificed himself to save her from pain. She knew he was going to pay for it dearly. She and Ron watched as Bellatrix turned her disturbing gaze to Harry, making her way slowly over to him.

"So it is. The Boy-Who-Lived. The child that can supposedly defeat my Lord. How disappointing you are, boy." She spoke with venom in her voice, hatred seeping out of her as she closed in on Harry. Suddenly, she lashed out with her hand, slapping him across the cheek, her nails leaving deep scratches across his cheek. Harry's breathing faltered as he sucked in a hiss of pain. He looked up at her and smirked through the pain, trying to provoke her and make her forget about Hermione.

"Yes. I've defeated your master no less than five times, and yet one of his loyal dogs is the one to get me. How pathetic of him." With that, Harry spat at Bellatrix, hitting her squarely in the face, sticking out his chin defiantly as he hid his growing fear from everyone, including himself. The Death Eater holding Harry pulled his arms back tighter, making them bend in an uncomfortable angle behind his back.

Hermione sobbed harder, feeling helpless as she watched the man she had loved since their fourth year in Hogwarts sentence himself to his most likely demise. Ron just shook with fear, not wanting to look at the scene that was unfolding before him. The Death Eaters holding them started to drag them away, wanting to get out of the room before Bellatrix exploded. There was no telling if she'd lash out at them, too. Though Ron and Hermione fought to stay with their friend, the Death Eaters were much too strong for them. Harry looked on with sadness in his eyes, knowing that it may be the last time he saw either of them.

Bellatrix LeStrange's face twisted into a mask of fury as she stepped back from Harry, wiping her face. She took out her wand and motioned for the person holding Harry to move away, leaving him in just the restraints on his wrists.

"CRUCIO!" she shouted, her wand leveled at Harry. He dropped to the floor, his body feeling as though every nerve-ending was on fire, writhing. But, he refused to scream. Not yet. He wouldn't give her that satisfaction just yet.

The spell went on for a full minute, and to Harry, it seemed to last a lifetime. Bellatrix cancelled the torture curse and cut the bindings holding back his hands. She walked over to kick Harry in the ribs onto his back and cast a limb stiffening curse, rendering Harry unable to escape.

"Well, wee Potty, it seems like I must teach you a lesson on proper manners." Bellatrix said, taking a knife out of her pocket. "You see this pretty knife? It really is something. Made of silver and has a lovely curse put onto the blade. It makes sure that the scar it creates doesn't fully heal. A personal brander, I like to call it. I'm going to test it out on you, little boy." She continued. Harry looked at the knife as his body twitched in the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse. He moaned slightly, feeling every bit as powerless as Bellatrix undoubtedly intended.

Bellatrix stood over him, poised as if an artist considering their canvas before creating a work of art. Finally, she smiled with a deranged twist of her lips, showing that she'd thought of what she would do. "Well well well, Potty, you're in luck. Or not. Depends how you see it, I guess." She laughed, her madness radiating off of her. Harry shuddered slightly, wondering what she was going to do. "I've finally figured out what to brand you with. I'm going to mark you for what you are; a FILTHY HALFBRED!" she screamed the last, breathing heavily.

She bent down over his left arm, her knife poised, and started carving into him. Harry couldn't hold it anymore; he screamed. The sharp pain of the knife cutting into his already damaged nerves, courtesy of the Cruciatus Curse, was too much.

Bellatrix cackled as she carved, satisfied with his lapse in control. When she finished, she took out the knife and stabbed it down through Harry's hand, all the way through to the floor. He screamed louder, gasping at the pain radiating through his arm. He looked at it and wanted to vomit at the image. The knife was sticking out of his palm, the blood welling up around it. His forearm was bloody, but he could make out the words carved onto his arm: Filthy Halfbreed. He gagged slightly, only to scream again as the Cruciatus was once more cast on him. It was held for many moments, making Harry scream himself hoarse. After it was lifted, Bellatrix pulled the knife out of his hand, only to slam it into his thigh. Harry couldn't even scream at this point. He was fading fast, and knew that he needed to be rescued fast or he wasn't going to make it.

Hermione fought against her restraints, trying to get out of the grip of her captor, but the grip on her arms only tightened. Ron was in much the same predicament as she. Suddenly, she heard Bellatrix shout "CRUCIO," and she knew that Harry was going to be tortured thoroughly before the Death Eaters even called Voldemort, should the trio not be able to escape. She sobbed at the thought that such a kind, brave, loyal, intelligent yet terribly dense person like Harry would be subjected to such monstrous acts. She knew that she loved him, and she wished that she had told him so before any of this. She might not get the chance to, now.

The Death Eaters shoved her and Ron into a cellar which had been turned into a dungeon of sorts. They locked the barred door and walked away, leaving Ron and Hermione there. The cellar wasn't too far away from where Bellatrix had Harry that they couldn't hear everything. Hermione felt like she could hear Harry's heartbeat if she really tried. She heard his labored breathing, his obvious struggle to keep from moaning in pain.

"Well, wee Potty, it seems like I must teach you a lesson on proper manners." She heard Bellatrix say, the madness dripping off her voice, making Hermione shiver. She looked over to Ron and saw his form, stiff with fear. 'Useless. Absolutely useless.' She thought, scanning around for an escape as the monologue of Bellatrix LeStrange continued. "You see this pretty knife? It really is something. Made of silver and has a lovely curse put onto the blade. It makes sure that the scar it creates doesn't fully heal. A personal brander, I like to call it. I'm going to test it out on you, little boy." Hermione stopped, her stomach plummeting. She wanted to retch at the mere thought of the crazed woman carving Harry. Suddenly, she saw movement in the shadows, farther down the cellar.

Cautiously, Hermione made her way over to the shadow, making out the forms of four people. She recognized three of them immediately. "Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander?" she asked slowly. All three looked up along with a goblin. "Are you all okay?" she asked.

"If we were all okay, would we be here?" the goblin answered with a sneer. Dean immediately glared at it and answered Hermione as though the goblin never said anything.

"I guess as okay as we can be. What are you doing here? You got captured, too?" he asked, disheartened. Hermione began to nod, but suddenly heard something she never wanted to hear. She heard Harry screaming. She sobbed and nodded. She needed a plan. She needed to help Harry. And just as she thought this, an idea formed in her brilliant mind. She softly called for the one being that would be able to help them escape. Suddenly, there was a pop, and Dobby was standing in front of her.

"Miss Grangey! Dobby has come to help Mister Harry Potter Sir and his friends!" Dobby said, bouncing on his feet, though not with excitement but anxiety. He wrung his hands and ears, clearly nervous to be in the house of his old masters again and scared for Harry.

Steadying herself from the fright of an elf appearing in front of her, Hermione immediately leapt into action, asking Dobby to take the others somewhere else. Ron interrupted and said to bring them to shell cottage, where Bill and Fleur live. She also told Dobby to get their wands and belongings that were confiscated, and Dobby nodded. He took hold of the other four prisoners, disapperating out of the cellar. Hermione felt her heart filling with hope, though she could still hear Harry screaming. Suddenly, it stopped, and she heard the sound of a knife being taken out of flesh and stabbing down again, and she realized that Harry hadn't even made a sound. Hermione silently urged Dobby to hurry, feeling that they were running out of time.

Dobby reappeared and Hermione and Ron wasted no time, taking his hand and telling him to reappear in the room where Harry was. With a pop, they were there. Hermione gasped as Ron paled at the sight of their friend. His left arm was bloody, his hand having a hole in it, and there was a knife sticking out of his right thigh. His muscles were twitching with the aftereffects of the Torture Curse, and he was obviously slipping in and out of consciousness. This was all taken in within a second as their focus turned to Bellatrix, the crazed woman staring at them with surprise.

Thinking quickly, Hermione pulled Ron and Dobby over to Harry, grabbing them all and telling Dobby to disapperate. In an instant, they were gone, leaving behind a furious Bellatrix LeStrange.

**AN: And that's the end of chapter 1! Again, sorry for such a long Hiatus from , but Family and school must come first. I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Please leave a review if you have the time. They are usually really interesting to read. Thank you for all your patience, everyone! Hopefully, I'll be able to update Leap of Faith within the month of October. Hopefully. Alright, have a lovely day! Yours Truly~ PottertheOtter**

**P.S. Oh, sorry, I almost forgot. Semper Fortis means Always Strong. Just thought you guys would enjoy knowing what the title means. ;)**


End file.
